However, Lebanese have long learned to suspect whomever might benefit from a violent act - which this time appeared to be the hard-line Christian forces loyal to General Aoun.

Hundreds of hard-line paramilitary forces clashed here today with protesting students who had gathered at Industrial Sharif University downtown in support of a reformist scholar sentenced to death.

According to Human Rights Watch, this tragic incident was used as a pretext for manslaughter by hard-line forces within the Rwanda Government.

"I think the orthodox hard-line forces are trying to make more than a statement here," said Igor Karichev, a member of Democratic Russia's coordinating council.

These favourable conditions also facilitated many changes inside the Communist leaders: the more hard-line and firmer force finally gained the upper hand and defeated the opportunists.

Mr. Gorbachev's willingness to listen to him again was in itself viewed as further evidence that the President is retreating from the alliance with hard-line forces that he formed last fall.

The intense interest in this election has caused headaches for the hard-line forces as well.

At this platform, the modern European style-influenced forces formed an alliance with totally opposite of hard-line Islamist forces.

"But we think there is a danger that hard-line forces allied with the army will consolidate their power, put a wall around China and say the capital road is not for us."

If Mr. Rafsanjani loses, hard-line anti-Western forces, which already dominate the nation's leadership, will have a monopoly on power.